[skeeter]

I don’t know how anyone could look at the trajectory of events and the lunatic behavior of leadership in the west over the past several years and not agree that, if not their conscious intent, it’s looking as though this essay’s conclusion will be the actual result.

[tlozo]

I don't know how anyone could look at the trajectory of events and the lunatic behavior of the leadership in the west

Let me fix that. It's not the "lunatic behavior of the leadership in the west" it's the lunatic behavior of Putin that's the issue.